COPERNICUS: Launch of Sentinel-2B satellite for the European Earth Observation Program

The launch of this new Copernicus satellite will improve services provided to farmers, fishermen and anyone who needs rapid access to up-to-the-minute data on conditions on the ground.

Copernicus, Europe's Earth observation programme, now can build up an image covering the entire planet in just 5 days, cutting the time needed to image the globe by half. The latest Copernicus satellite (Sentinel-2B) was successfully launched on 7 March 2017 from Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana. It joins Sentinel-2A, which has been in orbit since 23 June 2015. Together, the two Sentinels produce high resolution data that is already being used to create satellite-enabled products and services. This is providing new opportunities for businesses thanks to the fact that the European Union has provided free, full and open accessto the data. In turn, these businesses are creating highly qualified jobs in Europe. Faster and more precise provision of data will bring concrete benefits to citizens worldwide. These include reduced costs of precision farming services, increased productivity of fish farmers thanks to the monitoring of toxic algal blooms and savings for construction companies via a work progress monitoring application.